Dr. Mustafa Y. Ali

BIO SUMMARY: Dr. Mustafa is a Conflict Resolution practitioner. Dr. Mustafa also focuses on Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Terrorism besides his focus on pre-Mediation, Media, Diplomacy, Conflict Prevention and Interfaith Dialogue. He has been involved in actual conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa, West Africa, North Africa, and with interests in the Middle East and South East Asian conflicts.

Dr. Mustafa has been involved in finding ways to peacefully and sustainably address some of the most intractable conflicts in the most challenging countries and locations in Africa. This has included de-escalation of the violence as well as de-legitimization of ideologies that fuel violence in a number of countries in Africa, especially mis-use of religion in Somalia and the Horn of Africa and in Nigeria in West Africa. He has been engaged in efforts to reduce or end situations that lead to the misuse of religion to justify violence and conflicts for the last 14 years, having partnered with the United Nations and African Union on a number of projects.

A much sought-after conflict resolution expert by think-tanks, universities and the media, Dr. Mustafa has lectured and delivered papers in universities and conferences in over 50 countries around the world, including at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; University of Lund Sweden; University of Osnabruck, Germany; the African Union Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism, Algiers, Algeria and the University of Nairobi. Dr. Mustafa has lectured at the National Defence College (NDC) of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Kenya and the National Defence College (NDC) of the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF) in Tanzania. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the Joint Warfare Center (JWC), Lanet, where he lectures on Asymmetric Warfare. He has trained religious leaders and Commissions dealing with peace and conflict on the use of media to understand better how media fuels or dampens conflicts in Africa.

He has participated in and contributed to dozens of conflict, war and peace related programs and discussions as an expert on both the international and local media including Al Jazeera, British Broadcasting Corporation World Service Television and Radio (BBC), Central China Television (CCTV), Voice of America (VOA), German Television and Radio (DW), South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Nation Media Group’s NTV, (NMG), Standard Media Group’s KTN, Citizen Television and others.

Dr. Mustafa has won many awards, scholarships and funding for projects and programs. Most notably is the 2012 Coexist International Peace Prize given to him in New York in 2012 to honor his action-oriented work on conflict transformation in Africa. Former Ireland President Mary Robinson, Egypt Grand Mufti Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Rabbi David Rosen and other judges voted Dr. Mustafa to receive this prize citing ‘his vision and courage in mobilizing religious and faith leaders in transforming difficult and challenging conflicts in many parts of Africa’.

Dr. Mustafa holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sociology and International Relations from University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom; Master of Arts Degree in Diplomacy and International Studies from University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Sciences from Moi University. He is the author of Globalization and the Media book and Terrorism, Media and Public Policy (forthcoming). He has authored and co-authored manuals to address violent extremism and terrorism; guides to address proliferation of small arms and light weapons; and chapters in many books and conference proceedings on media, diplomacy, conflict, religion and peace-building including. The recent Manual Dr. Mustafa co-authored is the Training Manual and Resource Guide on Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE) – translated into Swahili, and an abridged version produced in English and Swahili languages.

Dr. Mustafa currently works for the Japanese Foundation—the Arigatou International as its Director overseeing the work of the GNRC in 45 countries, globally. He previously served as the Secretary General of the African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL—RfP) based in Nairobi and the Africa Representative for Religions for Peace International (RfP) headquartered in New York.

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